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Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Molly Biden is sick of being the perfect, dependable girl. She wants to be impulsive and outgoing and she wants to be noticed--especially by handsome and aloof Grady Dillon. So she devises a plan to nab his attention and re-create her image. But even as her plan seems to be working, Molly can't help but have a few doubts. And then Grady turns out to be far different than what she thought, and Molly is left alone and pregnant. Now she must gather her courage, figure out what she needs to do, and face her future.

The Best and Hardest Thing is a solid, quick-paced book told in verse. The poems are mainly free-verse, but there is a wide variation in the styles that Brisson employs. Molly is quite a dynamic character; in the beginning, she just wants to be someone more exciting and different, but she slowly loses control over her life changes when her best and only friend moves away, and she is left without a parent or friend to confide in. Brisson portrays the passing of months well, as Molly moves from shock to denial, and finally takes the momentous steps toward acceptance. Molly learns to become strong and independent, her experiences culminating in the best and hardest decision she'll ever make. And as Molly grows, so do the poems telling her story: the most beautiful ones are at the very end of the book. Though it was very short and didn't contain much character development outside of Molly herself, The Best and Hardest Thing is an emotional and lyrical book.

Cover Comments: I like the colors used in this cover, and how the title is displayed. It's simple, yet very pretty and eye-catching.

4 comments:

I am really happy to read that this book is a good one. Sometimes, novels in verse are not as well crafted as ones in prose (just sometimes--there are certainly great novels in verse to be had!). I'll move this title up on my wishlist. Thanks for the review!

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Formerly a YA book blog, TheCompulsiveReader.com is now the personal bookish blog of YA writer Tirzah Price! For more frequent dispatches about books, writing, and general nonsense, check out Book Riot, head over to Twitter or follow TirzahPrice on Litsy!